Wind Turbine
Project Overview
A group of four of my friends and I built a unique wind turbine prototype as part of our ENGG 160 design course! The turbine uses a Archimede’s Screw-inspired design and a belt-driven generator system to convert air flow into electricity.
| Our turbine in action | Team shot 1 | Team shot 2 |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
I’d like to thank Favour Abimbola, as well as the Engineering Student’s Society, for the great photos!
Design Process
As a part of our ENGG 160 first-year design course, a large portion of the project consisted of learning about the engineering design cycle, and the formal documentation that comes along with it. Alongside our engineering logbooks, our group decided to use Git for version control on our documentation.
This documentation included a project proposal, concept generation, and a design review. We used these planning phases, alongside modelling in Blender, Fusion 360, and Solidworks, to finalize our design before beginning construction.
Outside of traditional breadboarding and iteratively 3D printing our CAD model, we came up with some innovative solutions when fabricating our device. For example, we used laser-cut acrylic for the struts as they provided rigidity while enhancing the design aesthetics. The most unique strategy, however, came in manufacturing the spiral. We 3D printed molds that were used to heat-form flexible plastic sheets into the correct shape. This process was labour intensive, but we were especially proud of the unique design element.
One notable improvement we could have made to our design is to reduce the complexity of the belt-driven system. While the belt system was an interesting design element, the losses incurred from translating our axis of rotation were significant. A direct-drive system would minimize losses and lead to a more efficient design. When reflecting on our design, we highlighted this aspect as the largest area of improvement for our design.
Skills and Tools
I learned about:
- Design communication
- Project management
- Planning documentation
- 3D modelling
I used these tools:
- Solidworks
- Machine shop tools (3D printer, laser cutter)
- Git
- Microsoft Office